Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Letterkenny’s Andrew Herr

From the stage to the screen, Andrew Herr is a dynamic storyteller who has captivated audiences with his innate ability to disappear into a character.

He’s best known for his breakout role as Jonesy in the laugh-out-loud comedy Letterkenny.

The series follows the residents of Letterkenny, who belong to one of three groups: the Hicks, the Skids, and the Hockey Players. They’re constantly feuding with each other over seemingly trivial matters that often end with someone getting their ass kicked.

In Season 10, the Hicks attend a sausage party, the Hockey Players and Skids have a video game battle, and the men of Letterkenny receive head-to-toe physicals…and that’s just for starters.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Andrew about Season 10, what fans can expect from Season 11, and more!

Career

PC: How did you discover your passion for acting and storytelling?
Andrew: I first discovered acting when my dad got a new job and I was forced to relocate to a new high school, going into grade 12. For whatever reason—probably because I had a fresh slate—I didn’t have a ton of friends at the time except for a few hockey buddies. I was still playing hockey. A friend of mine, Christina Miller, asked me to be a part of that year’s drama festival (which is a student-run drama competition amongst Ontario high schools).

I auditioned for that and made a fool of myself, but I did line up for the role visually. We were friends and she threw me a bone, even though I didn’t deserve it on talent. [laughs] The first time we did a live performance of Never Swim Alone, I knew I was hooked.

Hockey is one of those things I grew up playing as a typical Canadian. I like hockey as a sport, but I can’t say that I loved it. I feel like every young guy goes into hockey. I was playing it. I was decent enough to play junior hockey, but acting was the first thing where I was like, “I love this.” I discovered it on my own. I wanted to be a stage actor. Through a series of events, I ended up leaning towards television and film when I went to UBC. But it was high school theater when I really got hooked on acting. Before that, it wasn’t even in my peripheral vision. It came out of nowhere.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Andrew: That’s a good question. For the first half, I had a guidance counselor named Len Whalen. Whenever I had time to fill, I’d go say, “What’s up?” When he found out that I had gotten into acting, he helped a lot. He used to be a professional stage actor. He helped me audition for theater school. He helped me audition for all the plays I did in high school. He was always a resource for me. There were so many times when I’d go over and we’d just hang out. He really, really helped me get into the acting world at the start and always followed up. I still talk to him to this day. He was a huge influence on me.

Also, Mel Tuck in Vancouver was a huge influence on me. He’s a Vancouver acting legend. He also taught Jared Keeso, who is the creator of Letterkenny. Watching Jared Keeso take his career into his own hands was a pretty big influence for me as well.

There are so many people. A lot of actors can attest that you need a lot of people in your corner to support you. There are so many people that helped me along the way. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career without these people.

PC: Like you were saying, you got your start on the stage. What has the transition been like going from that medium to the screen?
Andrew: It was a bit of a clunky transition. [laughs] Theater is so big. You have to use your whole body. You’re trying to reach the back of the audience. Whereas with acting on film, a lot of it is in the eyes. It’s a lot more condensed to fit on the screen. That transition took a lot longer than I’m willing to admit. [laughs] But with Letterkenny, Dylan [Playfair] and I use our bodies a lot and we’re very animated on the show. I find Letterkenny incorporates a mix of styles. That’s the biggest thing though: it took me a while to figure out that it was mostly in the eyes with film and TV.

Letterkenny

PC: Speaking of Letterkenny, Season 10 just dropped. The series has been incredibly well received. What do you think is resonating most with audiences?
Andrew: A few things. First of all, the wordplay and writing is really, really good. It’s very clever. It takes the English language and has its way with it. That’s credit to Jared and Jacob [Tierney]. They’re really, really smart guys and great writers. Every season, they bring something that’s really fun to take on.

Because with Letterkenny, there are a lot of universal archetypes. The farmers who have a deep sense of morality are stubborn, hard-nosed, and protective of the town. A lot of people can relate to that. The hockey players are similar to lacrosse bros or football guys. They’re kind of dumb, arrogant airheads. Everybody knows one of those guys. The Skids are these eccentric, drug-fueled maniacs with an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture. The list goes on and on.

I think everyone who’s a fan of Letterkenny watches it because there’s at least one character who makes them say, “I know someone like that.” That’s been a huge success for us. It lets you in through the window of rural Canadian culture. It’s exotic for some people. Trailer Park Boys paved the way for us.

PC: With ten seasons under your belt, has anything surprised you about the experience?
Andrew: I don’t know if anything’s surprised me. Once the show was being made and we did that first season, I knew we had something that was really good and special. Everyone really loved each other. It was very funny. I wasn’t surprised it was going to do well. Here we are, we’re still making it. I guess you never know how long TV shows will last. Again, credit to Jared and Jacob. They’ve maintained the quality of writing. Because it all starts there. We’ve been fortunate enough to keep making good TV, ten seasons in. Usually, after a while, TV shows start to slip. It’s not necessarily a surprise, but we’re very fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain a really fun show that people still enjoy.

PC: Do you have a favorite Jonesy moment from either this season or any of the nine previous ones?
Andrew: That’s tough. In the past, I did find it really fun when Reilly and Jonesy had a bit of a breakup. I was having to choose between the Skids and Glen. I was like a lost dog. They were doing all these things to try to get me on their side. That was a really fun scene to play.

The spelling bee episode is one of my favorites. We had the whole ensemble there. That was a really funny episode. This season, the flexing of butt cheeks was pretty fun. [laughs] It was pretty funny as well.

PC: This has been the longest that you’ve lived with a character. What have you learned from this experience that you’re going to bring over to the next project?
Andrew: Great question. After a while, especially with Reilly and Jonesy, there’s a certain framework the characters live in. You always have to find something that’s interesting in them and bring something new to the character each season. Like an onion, you peel it back.

At the start, Reilly and Jonesy were very, very arrogant and filled with testosterone. The more you get to know them, the more you discover they do have a soft side. They can be cultured at times. They do have a soft side and a heart to them. How to reveal a character like an onion is something that I’ve been able to learn with Letterkenny, even though the framework they exist in is pretty tight.

They still want the chase and the opportunity to meet girls. They still want to go to the gym. They still want to play hockey. They still want to be on top of the world. With all that in mind, it’s a matter of finding ways to show that they have other sides to them and not getting complacent and trying to view each season with fresh eyes.

PC: You’ve already filmed Season 11. Is there anything you can tease about what’s ahead?
Andrew: I’ll leave it at this: the break that we had due to COVID was great for the writing team. They had a lot more time to think through Seasons 10 and 11. There are more fistfights, really funny jokes, and more ridiculous characters.

PC: Speaking of writing, you’ve done a lot of that during the pandemic. How has your experience as an actor translated over to writing?
Andrew: I love acting obviously. I really like writing too. With Letterkenny, I’ve had access to the writers. I’ve seen the progression of the show. With writing, you’re creating the whole story. It’s only improved my knowledge of how I as an actor fit into a story. At the end of the day, each character is in servitude to the story.

Dan Harroch, who’s a writer on Letterkenny, is now a writing partner of mine and Adam Feingold’s. They’re a lot more experienced writers than me. They’ve taught me a lot. We’ve been writing some cool movies. We’re pretty optimistic at least one of them will get made this year. Seeing how the whole picture of a story comes into play has been really, really fun.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Andrew: Love Island UK.

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Andrew: I really liked Matthew McConaughey’s romcoms, Fool’s Gold being one of them. I used to watch Fool’s Gold way too much, even though it’s so dumb. [laughs]

PC: Favorite book?
Andrew: The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran and To Kill a Mockingbird.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Andrew: True West by Sam Shepard.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Andrew: I’m a big Metallica fan.

PC: Dream role?
Andrew: I’d love to play a Sherlock Holmes-like detective. Like an inquisitive detective. I’d absolutely love to play a role like that.

PC: Who would play you in the story of your life?
Andrew: Michael Cera.

To keep up with Andrew, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Letterkenny on Hulu.

Photo Credit: Karolina Turek